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Social media is rampant in our society today. In fact, approximately 70% of Americans use at least one social media platform at least once every day — up from just five percent 12 years ago. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are used to share everything from accomplishments to political articles to selfies to restaurant reviews to cat videos and more.
While social media is omnipresent in nearly every aspect of life, should they be included on your resume?
The short answer is a hesitant yes: social media should be included if it can add to your credentials and provide relevant insight into who you are as a professional.
Generally, your personal Facebook profile should not be included on your resume. However, you should ensure that your profile can pass a potential employer’s search test. Did you link to an award that you won? Great! Keep that post public. Do you have a photo from that toga party five years ago? Maybe keep that one private — or, better yet, remove it altogether.
If you have a professional Facebook page (i.e. one for your classroom, one for your consulting firm, one for your restaurant), absolutely include that on your resume. Showcase what you are already doing to the recipients of your resume.
Similarly to Facebook, if you use Twitter for professional purposes, include your handle on your resume. If you retweet the gurus in your field, have thoughtful conversations, pose interesting questions, etc., your resume could greatly benefit from your Twitter handle being included.
However, if you retweet crude comedians, post silly gifs, rant about politics, and tweet with grammatical errors and/or curse words, you may want to leave that off your resume. Furthermore, do not include your Twitter handle if you have not posted in months or have a protected profile.
This is dependent on what type of resume you are creating and the purpose of your Instagram account. If you are a visual artist and have an account devoted to your work, it is absolutely imperative that you link it to your resume. If you are a seeking a blogging position and post relevant photos with detailed captions, definitely include it.
But, if your Instagram account is full of dog photos, selfies, and memes, it might be better to withhold that information from your resume.
Yes, yes, yes. Without a doubt, you should include your LinkedIn profile on your resume. It includes information about your education, work experience that you have had, volunteering that you have done, honors and awards that you have received, skills and endorsements that others have given you, etc. This is all extremely pertinent information for any potential employer, and it should absolutely be included on your resume.
Regardless of whether or not you choose to include your social media accounts on your resume, be aware that employers, admissions counselors, scholarship agencies, etc. peruse these websites for additional information regarding their applicants. And nearly half of these individuals have not hired someone due to how they presented themselves on social media, often due to inappropriate or provocative photos or posts, alcohol or drug use, poor communication skills, bad-mouthing or discrimination of others, and lies about qualifications.
Keep in mind that the way you present yourself online can have great ramifications for your “real world” trajectory. And if you use these social media accounts wisely (and add them to your resume), you can be propelled even further toward that dream career, top school, or competitive scholarship.
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